» Far-right group holds Hitler birthday party at Oldham Pub

The North West branch of the British Movement posted pictures of the gathering in a blog post on their website on April 23, in which they refer to the dictator as “Uncle A”.  

The pub has been confirmed to be the Duke of Edinburgh pub in Royton.

Representatives from the pub’s owner Craft Union Pubs, which is part of the Stonegate group, say that staff were unaware of the nature of the gathering as members ‘concealed their clothing and activities’.

They added that the incident was reported to the police immediately. 

Greater Manchester Police has released a statement on the incident, saying that it is being investigated as a Section 18 public order offence, which covers displaying written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, intended to stir up racial hatred. 

Members of far-right group British Movement pose with Nazi flag. The image of Hitller has been photoshopped in. (Image: British Movement via r/AntifacistsofReddit subreddit) In the photos published in the blog post, members of the group with pixelated faces are posing with a flag of SS unit Heimwehr ‘Danzig’ and the group’s own red, white and blue sunwheel flag.

An X post by the group, which has since been deleted, also showed a picture of a swastika cake, which appears to have been brought to the pub for the occasion. 

One person is wearing a German football shirt with the number 44, which, in that particular font, looks like the SS logo. Adidas banned customers from personalising that shirt with the number 44 in April 2024. 

A swastika cake. The picture was posted in a now-deleted X post by the British Movement about the gathering at the Royton pub over Easter weekend. (Image: British Movement) Titled ‘North West Weekend Activities’, the blog post said that the group had celebrated Hitler’s birthday with various activities, and also carried “the ‘bread-and-butter’ actions needed to build a serious National Socialist alternative”.

It read: “On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th birthday of Uncle A.

“It certainly didn’t take long for the dimly lit interior of the Oldham boozer to be filled with the warm laughter of comrades old and new. Tables were filled with a plethora of drinks: frosty pints of beer, fruity cocktails, schooners, and birthday cake!”

The blog continues in a light-hearted tone, describing “laughter and lively conversation”, in which members added to the “tapestry of hopes for the future”. 

This event was one of “many more to come,” the write-up concludes. 

These images later appeared as Telegram screenshots in the r/AntifacistsofReddit subreddit, where forum members used Google and Instagram images to identify the pub as The Duke of Edinburgh in Royton. 

Photos posted by British Movement were cross-referenced, both by Reddit users and The Oldham Times, with images of the pub on Google and two Instagram posts from a local football account, one of which is geo-tagged at the Duke of Edinburgh.  

Members of far-right group British Movement hold up their organisation’s flag. (Image: British Movement)

According to Hope Not Hate, an organisation which researches, monitors and campaigns against far-right groups in the UK, the British Movement was first formed in 1968 and briefly disbanded in 1983 before starting up again. 

It was initially meant to be the “ideological and intellectual vanguard” of the far-right movement in the UK, but that never materialised.  

Hope Not Hate also says that the North West branch of British Movement was recently “rejuvenated” in January 2025 after members from another far-right group joined their ranks

They say “the branch engages in regular banner drops and street stalls, with its activists performing Nazi salutes for its social media channels”.

Far-right group British Movement gather at a pub in Royton. (Image: British Movement)

A spokesperson for Craft Union Pubs said: “A group entered the Duke of Edinburgh on Saturday under the pretext of celebrating a birthday and gathered in a back area of the venue.

“The group actively concealed their clothing, and their activities during the visit and as a result, their actions were not visible to staff at the time.

“The operator who runs the pub was therefore unaware of what had taken place until after the event. Upon becoming aware, the operator reported the matter to the police immediately.

“To be clear, we are absolutely appalled at what took place. We do not and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and these people aren’t welcome in any of our venues.

“We are focused on uniting our local communities, not dividing them. We are supporting our operator to look after their team, who are understandably incredibly distressed by the incident.”

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Police in Oldham are investigating reports that a group attended a pub on Market Street in Royton in possession of Nazi memorabilia.

“We are treating this incident with the utmost sensitivity and severity, and we are appealing to the public. If you have any information which may assist with the progression of the investigation, please to come forward.

“Information can be shared by calling 0161 856 9577 or 101 quoting log 784 of 24/4/25.”